Believe it or not this project has been a long time in the making. Originally set for a May release then Jun 9th the project experienced several unwanted delays but is now finally ready for release. This will be MC Eiht’s 14th studio album. The duo have been long time friends since collaborating on Eiht’s 1992 release “Death Wish”. “Which way is West is executive produced by Dj Premiere and he also produced 5 out of the 15 tracks on the project.

The project is set for release June 30th and is Eiht’s his first full-length solo album in 10 years. With the collab of Preemo, the quintessential New York Hip-Hop Producer, this East coast West coast mash up is sure to keep fans of both intrigued. Check out “Compton Zoo” below and also check out my Interview with the legendary MC Eiht at NiaBoom.com – #BooM

Look like Cardi comin for that crown! Chcck out the visuals for her latest release “Bodak Yellow”. This video is fire and pretty much like everybody else Im so proud of Cardi keep goin! – #BardiGang #BooM

Remember there were rumors swirling last year that the legendary Hip-hop duo, Eric B. & Rakim would be joining forces and again and going on tour. Well it’s true! kind of…

The Duo announced during a recent interview at Hot 97 that they will be performing their iconic album “Paid in Full” at the Apollo Theater in New York City July 7. And not just Eric B. & Rakim Eric said “We got so many people, we might not even get any records off. We tryna bring the world in with us.” This will mark their first performance in over 20 years

Heey Whats good y’all! This week I had a chance to chop it up with the COO of the Worldwide Fleet DJs Aaron about his many years in the industry, Guerrilla Marketing, The Fleet Djs, what an Artist needs to compete in this market and more! Listen below and Follow him @AaronFleetdjs – #BooM

“KOPC ORIGINS“, is executive produced by DL Clark and directed by DL along with famed video director Joe Puma (Trey Songz, Fabolous, Dave East). “I don’t expect everyone to be happy with what I’m doing” says DL, “…but its a story I want to tell. There is a lot of embellishment for entertainment purposes, but for the most part the premise of the movie is based off actual events,” he mentions.

In the coming weeks, Triplebeam Worldwide will be releasing the “KOPC ORIGINS EP” featuring songs from the film by hip-hop recording artist DL and many others. Formal invitation to follow.

Cart Blanche’ has come a long way; his music and business are flourishing but his past continues to haunt him. Faced with new enemies, demons of his murdered girlfriend Thalia, an aggressive police investigation and the continuous cycle of death that surrounds him, Cart’s history has finally caught up when he is confronted with the ramifications of the decisions he’s made. “You never know how things affect you, until they affect you“.

With a legacy as powerful as his, there was no way a Tupac Biopic would not eventually be made. The highly anticipated film directed by LT Hutton and Benny Boom starring Demetruis Shipp as the charismatic Tupac Shakur hit theaters yesterday on what would have been Pac’s 46th Birthday. “All Eyez on Me” tells the story of the beloved rap icon and the trials and tribulations that eventually led to his untimely death. Overall, the film kept me entertained I give it a”3“ don’t rush to the theatre. It wasn’t that bad but at times it felt like a T.V movie, moving at a quick pace not really allowing you to get into the scene. Aside from the better than expected performance from Shipp and a few others, the casting was less than. There was even a moment in the movie the audience burst out laughing when the characters who played Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre appeared on the screen; it was literally a joke. Speaking of jokes, Shipp did a phenomenal job showing Pac’s funny side, it broke up the monotony. The romance came with Kadada Jones, Quincy Jones daughter and Tupac’s girlfriend at the time of his murder. Kadada and Tupac’s relationship was short but seem to affect them both deeply. See more below on exactly how Kadada felt about Shakur and what she was told about Vegas and Tupac’s fate.

Pac’s mother Afeni Shakur played by Danai Gurira was also very pivotal in the film and her presence was definitely felt. She soften the plot and reinforced the powerful militant and political influence Pac had throughout his life. The film was a little too long but understandably so as Pac’s life was short but diverse and very complexed. I was pretty much ok with the movie until the ending. The last scene, right after Pac got shot on Las Vegas Blvd and was slowly dying outside of the BMW they played a gospel song that totally averted the mood. Terrible choice; they could have play “Shed so Many Tears” or a recital of one of his poems etc. But instead it left you feeling like you were at the funeral already. It could have instead been a montage of Pac’s life or a representation of such. Shipp, Gurira and Dominic L. Santana who played Suge Knight pretty much carried the film and the sound track definitely helped move it along. The expectations for this film were extremely high and unfortunately were not met. It was a nice try though – #BooM

I knew we should’ve never gone to Vegas that night. I had a horrible feeling about it. I’ve gone over it in my mind a million times. It wasn’t supposed to happen. We weren’t supposed to be there. It was the worst possible thing that could’ve happened –I still to this day don’t know who shot him. I wasn’t able to say goodbye. It’s not something that should happen to anyone.

We were at the Luxor Hotel and he went to a party. He said, “I’m not taking you. There been a fight with a Crip and it’s not safe. So you stay here.” So I waited in our suite for him to come back. I lay down and was going to sleep when I got a call. They said, “Pac’s been shot.”

I was like, “Okay.” He’d been shot five times before that. I said “Where was he hit? In the leg, an arm? No big deal.” When I got to the hospital they handed me a bag of bloody clothes and jewelry and told me, fusions and he is in the ICU hanging by a string.”

I got a blanket from the hospital and circled the parking lot for nine hours. I said, “There’s no way he’s gonna die. There’s just no way.” I walked around there till the sun came up and I had to keep my head down because I felt like I was going to projectile vomit all over the place. I wanted to explode, just come out of my skin. I was in complete physical shock.

My mom was in New York and she flew down to Vegas. Here’s my white Jewish mom, you know, praying with Pac’s family, the ghetto family for real, you know? She’s doing praying sessions with this conjure lady from Tupac’s family who had called me and Tupac just a week before, telling us, “I see Tupac settling in Vegas.”

I said “There’s no way he’s settling in Vegas.”

And then, a week later, he was definitely settled in Vegas. For good. He died at 4:30 P.M. a few days later. For a while afterward, I didn’t want to be alive. I was on my back, literally on my back for months. My father underestimated how that affected me and shaped and molded me as a human being. In a way, accepting Tupac was his way of acknowledging- my pain, and my struggle to find myself- and for that I love him.“

This week’s essential 10 piece was compiled by Straight Official Mag’s co-editor DJ Nia Boom! The Brownsville, Brooklyn hip-hop duo Tek and Steele have been rockin’ stages since the 90’s. The Jamaican Patois speaking group debuted on Black Moon’s 1993 album Enta da Stage, appearing on the tracks “Blac Smif-N-Wessun” and “U Da Man”. They released their first single “Bucktown” b/w “Let’s Git It On” in early 1994. Check out the videos below, and let us know your fav!